I love boys! I feel so passionately that boys in our society are being failed and expected to behave like girls, but as a mother of 3 boys I want to bring mine up to be real men - strong, passionate risk takers. This blog is about our family's journey in raising our boys....

Thursday, 12 February 2015

Fifty Shades of Terror

I have resisted as long as possible, but I cannot stand by silently whilst everyone else enjoys the 'harmless' fun of this film.

Fifty Shades.

This weekend the news will be full of it. According to the BBC news website London Fire Brigade are even on standby because of concerns about people being trapped in handcuffs.

And yet, every day around the world women and girls are exploited, abused, dominated and controlled by men such as Christian Grey. Charming on the outside and terrifyingly evil behind closed doors, these men are warped and twisted by their passion for selfish and self-gratifying sex that knows no love or tenderness.

Does the term 'mummy porn' make it more palatable? Seriously? Should 'mummies' be okay with this? Would 'mummies' be happy if it was their daughter being exploited by such a man?

Across the world every day paedophiles from our country (yep - England) are hiring the services of young girls in karaoke bars, brothels, massage parlours and even from street corners. Have these girls chosen to work in such places? Of course not. Stolen from their homes and sometimes sold by their families, they are raped twenty or more times each night by the 'Christian Greys' of this world. In the UK alone, one phone call every minute is made to the police (Stanko 2000) by women desperate for help because they are being abused by a 'Christian Grey'. Domestic abuse is about power and control not about the bright lights and dazzling glamour of the alluring paedophile or rapist. It's simply unjust.

And porn fuels this injustice. Without a doubt, porn (even so-called 'mummy porn') twists a person's view of sex. It is the petrol behind the terrible, degrading, evil bomb of sexual violence. And violence is what it is. Not love. Not cherishing. Not 'fun'. Try explaining to a 10 year old girl locked in a cage on the streets of Mumbai and only let out when there is a paedophile / customer waiting to rape her for 20p that this is 'fun'. Or perhaps you could laugh along with the lady who is regularly beaten by the husband who plays mind control tricks on her like moving the food around in the cupboards or throwing away the bread when she was certain she'd bought some at the shops.

I don't care how glamorous Christian Grey is or how much of a façade of riches and beauty is pasted over it, Fifty Shades of Grey is not only offensive towards women, but downright dangerous. This is not harmless fun. And yet women are the ones supporting it.

Come on Ladies, open your eyes to the truth behind the film.

See the message that is barely hidden.

Don't celebrate the abuser but stand for the women around the world who face these degrading battles every day and every night.

Be their voice when they have nothing left but a silent whisper for help.